Canon 300D vs Nikon D90

The Canon EOS 300D (called Canon Rebel in some regions) and the Nikon D90 are two digital cameras that were officially introduced, respectively,
in August 2003 and August 2008. Both are DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras that are equipped with an APS-C sensor. The Canon has a resolution of 6.3 megapixels, whereas the Nikon provides 12.2 MP. Read on to find out how these two cameras compare with respect to their body size, their sensors, their features, their input-output connections, and their reception by expert reviewers.

Body comparison: Canon 300D vs Nikon D90

An illustration of the physical size and weight of the Canon 300D and the Nikon D90 is provided in the side-by-side display below. The two cameras are presented according to their relative size. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are available. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

If the front view area (width x height) of the cameras is taken as an aggregate measure of their size,
the Nikon D90 is somewhat smaller (3 percent) than the Canon 300D. However, the D90 is markedly heavier (8 percent) than the 300D. In this context, it is worth noting that neither the 300D nor the D90 are weather-sealed.

The above size and weight comparisons are to some extent incomplete since they do not consider the interchangeable lenses
that both of these cameras require. Yet, since both cameras are based around an APS-C sensor, their respective lenses will tend to have similar dimensions and heft.
You can compare the optics available for the two cameras in the Canon EF Lens Catalog (300D) and the Nikon Lens Catalog (D90).

The adjacent table lists the principal physical characteristics of the two cameras alongside a wider set of alternatives. If you want to switch the focus of the display and review another camera pair, just select a new right or left
comparator from among the camera models in the table. Alternatively, you can also move across to the CAM-parator tool and
choose from the broad selection of possible camera comparisons there.

Any camera decision will obviously take relative prices into account. The listed launch prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The 300D was launched at a markedly lower price (by 31 percent) than the D90, which puts it into a different market segment. Normally, street prices remain initially close to the MSRP, but after a couple of months, the first discounts appear. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison: Canon 300D vs Nikon D90

The imaging sensor is at the core of digital cameras and its size is one of the main determining factors of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be more expensive and lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

Both cameras under consideration feature an APS-C sensor, but their sensors
differ slightly in size. The sensor area in the D90 is 9 percent bigger. As a result of these sensor size differences, the cameras have format factors, respectively, of 1.6 (300D) and 1.5. Both cameras have a native aspect ratio (sensor width to sensor height) of 3:2.

In terms of underlying technology, both cameras are build around CMOS sensors.

With 12.2MP, the D90 offers a higher
resolution than the 300D (6.3MP), but the D90 has smaller individual pixels (pixel pitch of
5.53μm versus 7.38μm for the 300D). Yet, the D90 is a much more recent model (by 5 years) than the 300D, and its sensor
will have benefitted from technological advances during this time that enhance the light gathering capacity of its pixel-units.

The Canon EOS 300D has a native sensitivity range from ISO 100 to ISO 1600
The corresponding ISO settings for the Nikon D90 are ISO 200 to ISO 3200, with the possibility to increase the ISO range to 200-6400..

Since 2007, DXO Mark has published sensor performance measurements that have been derived using a consistent methodology. This service assesses and scores the color depth ("DXO Portrait"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports") of camera sensors, and also publishes an overall camera score. Of the two cameras under consideration, the D90 offers substantially better image quality than the 300D (overall score 18 points higher). The advantage is based on 1.7 bits higher color depth, 1.7 EV in additional dynamic range, and 0.8 stops in additional low light sensitivity. The following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of comparators.

Sensor Characteristics

Camera Model

Sensor Class

Resolution (MP)

Horiz. Pixels

Vert. Pixels

Video Format

DXO Portrait

DXO Landscape

DXO Sports

DXO Overall

Camera Model

Canon 300D»

APS-C

6.3

3072

2048

-

21.0

10.8

544

55

Canon 300D

Nikon D90«

APS-C

12.2

4288

2848

720/24p

22.7

12.5

977

73

Nikon D90

Canon 77D«»

APS-C

24.0

6000

4000

1080/60p

23.6

13.3

971

78

Canon 77D

Canon G1 X Mark II«»

1.5-inch

13.0

4160

3120

1080/30p

21.5

10.8

581

58

Canon G1 X Mark II

Canon 700D«»

APS-C

17.9

5184

3456

1080/30p

21.7

11.2

681

61

Canon 700D

Canon 650D«»

APS-C

17.9

5184

3456

1080/30p

21.7

11.2

722

62

Canon 650D

Canon G1 X«»

1.5-inch

14.2

4352

3264

1080/24p

21.7

10.8

644

60

Canon G1 X

Canon 40D«»

APS-C

10.1

3888

2592

-

22.1

11.3

703

64

Canon 40D

Canon 400D«»

APS-C

10.1

3888

2592

-

22.1

11.0

664

62

Canon 400D

Canon 350D«»

APS-C

8.0

3456

2304

-

21.8

10.8

637

60

Canon 350D

Canon 20D«»

APS-C

8.2

3504

2336

-

21.9

11.0

721

62

Canon 20D

Canon 10D«»

APS-C

6.3

3072

2048

-

21.1

10.9

571

57

Canon 10D

Nikon D7000«»

APS-C

16.1

4928

3264

10800/24p

23.5

13.9

1167

80

Nikon D7000

Nikon D300S«»

APS-C

12.2

4288

2848

720/24p

22.5

12.2

787

70

Nikon D300S

Nikon D5000«»

APS-C

12.2

4288

2848

720/24p

22.7

12.5

868

72

Nikon D5000

Nikon D80«»

APS-C

10.0

3872

2592

-

22.1

11.2

524

61

Nikon D80

Nikon D70«»

APS-C

6.0

3008

2000

-

20.4

10.3

529

50

Nikon D70

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but can also record movies. The D90 indeed provides for movie recording, while the 300D does not. The highest resolution format that the D90 can use is 720/24p.

Feature comparison: Canon 300D vs Nikon D90

Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. The 300D and the D90 are similar in the sense that both have an optical viewfinder.
The latter is useful for getting a clear image for framing even in brightly lit environments. The following table reports on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Canon 300D, the Nikon D90, and comparable cameras.

Core Features

Camera Model

Viewfinder (Type or '000 dots)

Control Panel (yes/no)

LCD Size (inch)

LCD Resolution ('000 dots)

LCD Attach- ment

Touch Screen (yes/no)

Shutter speed (1/sec)

Shutter flaps (1/sec)

Built-in Flash (yes/no)

Built-in Image Stab

Camera Model

Canon 300D»

optical

n

1.8

118

fixed

n

4000

2.5

Y

n

Canon 300D

Nikon D90«

optical

Y

3.0

920

fixed

n

4000

4.5

Y

n

Nikon D90

Canon 77D«»

optical

Y

3.0

1040

swivel

Y

4000

6.0

Y

n

Canon 77D

Canon G1 X Mark II«»

-

n

3.0

1040

tilting

Y

4000

5.2

Y

Y

Canon G1 X Mark II

Canon 700D«»

optical

n

3.0

1040

swivel

Y

4000

5.0

Y

n

Canon 700D

Canon 650D«»

optical

n

3.0

1040

swivel

Y

4000

5.0

Y

n

Canon 650D

Canon G1 X«»

optical

n

3.0

922

Swivel

n

4000

1.9

Y

Y

Canon G1 X

Canon 40D«»

optical

Y

3.0

230

fixed

n

8000

6.5

Y

n

Canon 40D

Canon 400D«»

optical

n

2.5

230

fixed

n

4000

3.0

Y

n

Canon 400D

Canon 350D«»

optical

n

1.8

115

fixed

n

4000

3.0

Y

n

Canon 350D

Canon 20D«»

optical

Y

1.8

118

fixed

n

8000

5.0

Y

n

Canon 20D

Canon 10D«»

optical

Y

1.8

118

fixed

n

4000

3.0

Y

n

Canon 10D

Nikon D7000«»

optical

Y

3.0

921

fixed

n

8000

6.0

Y

n

Nikon D7000

Nikon D300S«»

optical

Y

3.0

920

fixed

n

8000

7.0

Y

n

Nikon D300S

Nikon D5000«»

optical

n

2.7

230

full-flex

n

4000

4.0

Y

n

Nikon D5000

Nikon D80«»

optical

n

2.5

230

fixed

n

4000

3.0

Y

n

Nikon D80

Nikon D70«»

optical

n

1.8

130

fixed

n

8000

3.0

Y

n

Nikon D70

One feature that is present on the D90, but is missing on the 300D is a top-level LCD.
While being, of course, smaller than the rear screen, the control panel conveys some of the essential shooting information and can be convenient for quick and easy settings verification.

The 300D writes its imaging data to Compact Flash cards, while the D90 uses SDHC cards.

Connectivity comparison: Canon 300D vs Nikon D90

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Canon EOS 300D and Nikon D90 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

Camera Model

Hotshoe Port

Internal Microphone

Internal Speaker

Microphone Port

Headphone Port

HDMI Port

USB Type

WiFi Support

NFC Support

Bluetooth Support

Camera Model

Canon 300D»

Y

-

-

-

-

-

1.1

-

-

-

Canon 300D

Nikon D90«

Y

mono

mono

-

-

mini

2.0

-

-

-

Nikon D90

Canon 77D«»

Y

stereo

mono

Y

-

mini

2.0

Y

Y

Y

Canon 77D

Canon G1 X Mark II«»

Y

stereo

mono

-

-

mini

2.0

Y

Y

-

Canon G1 X Mark II

Canon 700D«»

Y

stereo

mono

Y

-

mini

2.0

-

-

-

Canon 700D

Canon 650D«»

Y

stereo

mono

Y

-

mini

2.0

-

-

-

Canon 650D

Canon G1 X«»

Y

stereo

mono

-

-

mini

2.0

-

-

-

Canon G1 X

Canon 40D«»

Y

-

-

-

-

-

2.0

-

-

-

Canon 40D

Canon 400D«»

Y

-

-

-

-

-

2.0

-

-

-

Canon 400D

Canon 350D«»

Y

-

-

-

-

-

2.0

-

-

-

Canon 350D

Canon 20D«»

Y

-

-

-

-

-

1.1

-

-

-

Canon 20D

Canon 10D«»

Y

-

-

-

-

-

1.1

-

-

-

Canon 10D

Nikon D7000«»

Y

mono

mono

Y

-

mini

2.0

-

-

-

Nikon D7000

Nikon D300S«»

Y

stereo

mono

Y

-

mini

2.0

-

-

-

Nikon D300S

Nikon D5000«»

Y

mono

mono

-

-

mini

2.0

-

-

-

Nikon D5000

Nikon D80«»

Y

-

-

-

-

-

2.0

-

-

-

Nikon D80

Nikon D70«»

Y

-

-

-

-

-

1.0

-

-

-

Nikon D70

Both the 300D and the D90 have been discontinued, but can regularly be found used
on eBay. The 300D was replaced by the Canon 350D, while the D90 was followed by the Nikon D7000.

Review summary: Canon 300D vs Nikon D90

So what is the bottom line? Is there a clear favorite between the Canon 300D and the Nikon D90? Below is a summary of the relative strengths of each of the two contestants.

Reasons to prefer the Canon EOS 300D:

More affordable: Was introduced into a lower priced category (31 percent cheaper at launch).

More heavily discounted: Has been available for much longer (launched in August 2003).

Arguments in favor of the Nikon D90:

More detail: Has more megapixels (12.2 vs 6.3MP), which boosts linear resolution by 39%.

More modern: Reflects 5 years of technical progress since the 300D launch.

If the count of relative strengths (bullet points above) is taken as a measure, the D90 is the clear winner of the contest (13 : 2 points). However, the relevance of individual strengths will vary across photographers, so that you might want to apply your own weighing scheme to the summary points when reflecting and deciding on a new camera.

300D 02:13 D90

In any case, while the comparison of the spec-sheets of cameras can offer a general idea of their imaging potential, it says nothing about, for example, the handling, responsiveness, and overall imaging quality of the 300D and the D90 in practical situations. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate.

Expert reviews: Canon 300D vs Nikon D90

This is where reviews by experts come in. The adjacent table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites (cameralabs, dpreview, ephotozine, imaging-resource, photographyblog). You can find the full text of the reviews by clicking on the site logo in the table header.

The above review scores should be interpreted with care, though. The ratings are only valid when referring to cameras in the same category and of the same age. A score, therefore, has to be seen in close connection to the price and market introduction time of the camera, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

Other camera comparisons

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